Housing costs have risen nationally every single year for a decade, with the trend finally breaking in September of 2022 (Gopal). Nowhere was this painful trend more evident than along the West Coast where housing markets in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco/Bay Area, and Seattle frequently make the top 5 in terms of high prices for housing (Ziraldo). We know that most of the West Coast has failed to build adequate new, affordable housing while demand to work and live in urban areas has reached a fever pitch across the globe (Levin). Even when Los Angeles passed housing bonds to address its affordable housing gap, the difficulties in permitting processes, pushback from communities of property owners, and high construction costs have prevented those large local investments from noticeably reducing its housing shortage (Klein). In light of these trends, what strategies have different localities across the Pacific coast employed? What successes have been achieved? What lessons have been learned? What are the most actionable steps we can take to increase housing stability and decrease homelessness? Do any of these solutions have implications for gentrification/displacement?
Presenters and Panelists:
- Rachel Fyall, Associate Professor, University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance; Faculty Co-lead, Urban@UW’s Homelessness Research Initiative
- Felicia Salcedo, Executive Director, We Are In
- Reba Stevens, Homelessness Advocate
- Christopher Weare, Director of Research and Outcome Management, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services
- Marisa Zapata, Associate Professor of Land-Use Planning at Portland State University; Director, PSU Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative
Moderators:
- Gary Painter, Director, Homelessness Policy Research Institute
- Saba Mwine, Managing Director, Homelessness Policy Research Institute
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- Implementing a Regional Housing Needs Analysis Methodology in Oregon: Approach, Results, and Initial Recommendations